Research Assistant

University of Plymouth - Biological and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering

Location: Plymouth

Salary: £30,378 to £34,610 pro rata per annum - 5

Hours: Full Time

Contract Type: Fixed-Term/Contract

Placed On: 16th March 2026

Closes: 29th March 2026

Job Ref: B1150

About the role

Under the guidance of Kerry Howell and as a member of the team, you will be responsible for the delivery of research support to the Deep Vision project, undertaking basic research, including deep-sea benthic species identification, image annotation, literature and database searches and providing research and administrative support to the academic colleagues responsible for the project and/or research centre.

You will help to deliver a high quality biodiversity dataset of benthic species occurances in the Atlantic. You will quality control the outputs of a newly trained artifical intelligance model for deep sea species identification, and you will support onward analysis of these datasets.

This is a full-time position working 37 hours per week on a fixed-term basis for 12 months due to funding.

For more information on Biological and Marine Sciences please visit our dedicated webpage at https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/schools

Due to the nature of the role, unfortunately we are unable to accommodate working from home.

For an informal discussion to find out more about the role then please contact Sophie Donaldson: by email at sophie.donaldson@plymouth.ac.uk

What we’re looking for

You must have:

• A first degree in marine biology or equivalent subject
• Strong taxonomic knowledge. You must be able to work as part of a research team
• Experience in the application and use of R and multivariate statistics for community analysis
• Previous experience with deep-sea species identification, image analysis, and the BIIGLE software is desirable.

For more information about the job and the person specification, please refer to the job description.

About us

You will be part of an international team working together to support spatial management of the deep ocean.

The University of Plymouth has a strong interdisciplinary research ethos which is supported by our two strategic Research Institutes; the Marine Institute and the Sustainable Earth Institute. As a member of our academic community, you’ll be expected to contribute to our recognised research strengths. Working holistically across the University, you will be challenged to innovate, collaborate and deliver impactful research contributions as part of a systems thinking approach to addressing today’s global challenges.

Application Process

Please apply online, demonstrating how you meet the essential criteria outlined in the knowledge, qualifications, training, skills and experience elements of the job description in your supporting statement.

Following the closing date of the vacancy, you will be notified on the outcome of your application in due course.

Closing date: 12 midnight, Sunday 29 March 2026

Our Offer

We have a wide range of staff benefits available to employees, depending on eligibility:

• Generous annual leave: 25 Days Annual Leave plus Bank Holidays & Closure Days
• Generous pension scheme
• Cycle to Work & Electric Car Scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Development opportunities
• Enhanced family leave
• Flexible working
• Retailer discounts
• On-site nursery

A summary of our comprehensive benefits can be viewed here.